An Ancient Well of Anger

From Yemen, bound for Chicago, bombs were in packages that bore the addresses of Jewish institutions.  But in place of the names of the institutions, individual names of historic figures from the Crusades and the Spanish Inquisition had been used.  These bombs that didn't go off, plus other packages used to test out the travel patterns of freight airplanes, point to an element our Western minds find difficult to grasp.

For most of US, the Crusades are a matter of very old history that have nothing to do with us or the present.  For the opponent's mind-set, Zionism and Israel are an extension of a centuries-old invasion of Europe into Palestine and neighboring countries.  We don't connect anything 14th century with 21st century.  They do.  To us, it seems like a form of mental illness;  to them, it is a deep and angry connection, a deep well of hatred which is much more than manipulation through propaganda.

Part of the difficulty of the whole matter is understanding just how "religious" it is.  It may be wrong, it may be terrible, it may be irrational, all those things wrapped up in one horrendous series of acts - but there is a deeper well of anger than we easily comprehend.

Resist?  absolutely!    Do battle in the war for the persuasion of minds?  absolutely!   Be determined to defend this country and others against this ancient hatred?  absolutely!  Be aware of an enemy with a deeper anger than we might have realized?  absolutely!

Wasn't it Jesus who said:  "Be wise as serpents and innocent as doves?"  That's never been the easy road!